Data and Code for: The value of clean water: Experimental evidence from rural India

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Fiona Burlig, University of Chicago; Amir Jina, University of Chicago; Anant Sudarshan, University of Warwick

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  code 09/23/2025 06:57:PM
  data 09/23/2025 06:57:PM
  paper 09/23/2025 06:58:PM
  survey_instruments 09/23/2025 06:58:PM
README.pdf application/pdf 111 KB 02/09/2026 11:02:AM
list_of_data.xlsx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet 12.4 KB 02/09/2026 11:11:AM
springhealth.Rproj text/plain 203 bytes 09/23/2025 02:57:PM

Project Citation: 

Burlig, Fiona, Jina, Amir, and Sudarshan, Anant. Data and Code for: The value of clean water: Experimental evidence from rural India. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2026. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-02-19. https://doi.org/10.3886/E238281V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Over 2 billion people lack clean drinking water. Existing solutions face high costs (piped water) or low demand (point-of-use chlorine). Using a 60,000 household cluster-randomized experiment, we test an alternative approach: decentralized treatment and home-delivery of clean water to the rural poor. At low prices, take-up exceeds 90 percent, sustained throughout the experiment. High prices reduce take-up but are privately profitable. We experimentally recover revealed-preference measures of valuation. Willingness-to-pay is several times higher than prior indirect estimates; willingness-to-accept is larger and exceeds marginal cost. Self-reported health measures improve accordingly. On a cost-per-DALY basis, free water delivery regimes appear highly cost-effective.
Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources Oak Foundation; Templeton World Charity Foundation; Becker Friedman Institute, University of Chicago

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms water; valuation; economics; development
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
      Q25 Renewable Resources and Conservation: Water
      Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Odisha, India
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 8/1/2022 – 8/1/2023 (August 2022-August 2023, multiple waves)
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) administrative records data; experimental data; survey data

Methodology

Data Source:  View help for Data Source Original data collection
Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation household, village

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Published Versions

V1 [2026-02-19]

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